


Rock, Paper, Kisses

by hafital



Category: Sky High (2005)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2007-12-26
Updated: 2007-12-26
Packaged: 2017-10-28 04:05:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 12,425
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/303547
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hafital/pseuds/hafital
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Will Stronghold's sophomore year starts off promising, but then it all goes wrong.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Rock, Paper, Kisses

**Author's Note:**

> Written for Atlantia in the Yuletide 2007 Challenge. Super thanks to Dira Sudis for a heroic last minute beta.

~~~

This is the story of the start of my sophomore year and how everything went wrong.

Life was pretty good after Homecoming my freshman year. My sidekick friends -- Ethan, Zach, Magenta -- saved the school and now mixed freely with all heroes. Warren and I were best friends, despite my father and he not always getting along. Things were still a little touchy there, but I could have Warren over without my dad ripping the sink out (we kept spares in the garage, had new ones installed in a jiffy) and without Warren burning the place down.

And then, there was Layla. Layla, my girlfriend, the best girlfriend. I knew how lucky I was. Things could not have been more perfect.

But not a month into the school year, and it all went wrong. I tried to figure out where it started. Did it start with the giant spinning sphere shooting deadly lasers that burst through the floor of the gym? Or at the party that weekend?

Giant spheres shooting deadly rays were a common enough hazard at Sky High, so it probably was the party. Or maybe, it was neither, maybe it started during Save the Citizen.

  
**I  
Spin the Bottle**   


Coach Boomer had this bright idea to spin for partners. On the first go, Layla and Sara Winter -- otherwise known as Freeze Girl -- were chosen as heroes, opposite Will and Warren. Getting trounced by your girlfriend might not sit well with some, but Will had never been more proud of Layla or so happy to lose. And Warren? Warren and Sara were also dating, although they were kind of on again, off again. Right then, they were on. The four of them often hung out, as well as Zach and Magenta, and Ethan, too.

After the four of them played -- girlfriends against boyfriends -- the entire gym looked like a cloudy jungle swamp.

Layla and Freeze Girl went on to be undefeated at Save the Citizen for almost a week. It was the first time two girls had been so successful. The crowd went wild.

Will cheered and wolf whistled. "Get 'em Layla," he yelled. "That's my girlfriend," he said, beaming at everyone who would listen. "Hey Warren," he said, turning to his best friend. "We have the two coolest girlfriends."

Warren smirked but he didn't disagree. They high-fived.

From the center of the gym, Layla smiled and waved at Will, her red hair falling down over her shoulders. The entire gym dangled with vines -- some frozen. It looked like an Arctic Amazon.

"Okay, your next opponent will be..." said Coach Boomer, spinning a wheel with all of the students' names on it. "Big Larry! Choose your partner, Big Larry."

Larry, making his way to the center of the gym, turned around, pursed his lips. "Hmmmm," he said, "I choose..... that guy." He pointed to a person Will had never seen before. The new kid was tall, with long orange-flamed hair, and no apparent sign of what his power might be.

"Bold move," said Coach Boomer. "New kid! Down and center. Heroes -- Miss Williams, Miss Winter," he smirked, "you know the rules. You have three minutes to immobilize your opponents. Ready, get set..... BATTLE."

The walls shook with the coach's sonic shout.

"Who's the new guy?" Will leaned towards Warren, watching Larry turn into a giant rock monster and start to tear up the gym floor. Layla tripped him with a well aimed vine. Larry went down; the entire gym shook. Crash. Boom.

"He's in my year. Name is _Brian Wash_." Warren over enunciated the name, and shrugged, wincing a little as Sara barely escaped being crushed by Larry. She shot out a zap of freeze. He froze in place, then roared and burst free of the ice. The audience ducked flying icicles.

"Doesn't sound so bad. What's his power?" So far Wash had done nothing but dodge vines and freeze rays.

"Watch." With a glance at Will, Warren nodded toward the arena.

"Save me," cried the dummy citizen, dropping lower over the whirling, gyrating blades of the save the citizen machine. The clock read just over one minute left.

In the center of the arena, Layla was doing that awesome thing where the wind started blowing and she called up vines from nowhere, hundreds of them, shooting every which way, looking amazing and frightening and very powerful. The vines wrapped around Larry, binding his rock arms to his side. He roared, struggled, burst free, but more vines came to bind him. Add the freezing rays from Freeze Girl, and it looked like the heroes would win again.

"Save me," cried the dummy citizen, dropping further. Forty seconds.

The new kid continued to stand in the center of the arena, doing nothing but letting vines pass around him, round and round. Layla looked confused, her vines lessened; she lowered her hands. The vines fell to the ground and then amazingly, as if changing allegiance, they turned around and started wrapping around Layla. She had lost control of her own power.

"Uh oh," said Will.

"Yeah," said Warren. "It gets better."

Freeze Girl started for the citizen. Larry, free from the vines, knocked her across the arena. She slammed against the far wall. Next to Will, Warren flinched but otherwise didn't move.

"Save me." Fifteen seconds.

Will looked over at Coach Boomer, but he was as riveted as the rest of the students and clearly wasn't going to stop the action.

Larry then turned toward Layla. He stomped over, the wooden slats of the floor splintering under his weight. He roared, ripping the vines away. Layla blinked, still confused. She looked up at Larry in his full rock formation, her skin pale, red hair swept off her face by his roar. Larry gathered himself to his tallest fourteen feet height --

"Save me." Ten seconds. Nine. Eight. Seven--

Will stood up, already lifting into the air, swooping down to rescue Layla. There was no way he would let Larry crush his girlfriend. Larry jumped up into the air and --

Six. Five. Four--

Before he got there something swooshed past, scooping Layla right out from under Larry's large rock knee --

Three. Two--

Larry cratered a hole into the gym floor, exactly where Layla's head had been.

One. The citizen fell to the whirling, churning blades, crushed. The audience broke out into scattered applause.

Will looked across the arena. Wash flew through the air; two giant orange-feathered wings grew from his back, carrying Layla in his arms. The wings beat back and forth, creating high winds. Below, the students had to hold on to their seats to keep from being blown from the stands.

Will experienced white hot anger. Mind control and wings? Whatever. Will could fly, too. He shot through the air toward Layla and Wash.

Layla, now free of whatever telepathy Brian had used on her, grew pale, realizing where she was and what must have happened. "Put me down," she cried.

"Sorry," said Brian, smiling, holding her firmly. "It was part of the game. I hope you forgive me."

"I..." she hesitated, looking confused again.

Will, his face hotter than a supernova, skidded to a stop mid-air -- it was a talent of his, skidding in mid-air -- and yelled, "Hey. That's my girlfriend."

"Will, it's okay," said Layla, still looking at Brian, her hair fluttering around her. "He saved me."

"I was going to save you. Practically did, just, he got there before me." Will's voice broke. He transferred Layla into his arms, away from Wash, glaring.

Brian neither smiled nor glared, but only looked amused. "Thanks for a good game... Layla? I'm Brian."

Will didn't like the distraction on Layla's face as she watched Brian, but there wasn't too much time to think about it because at that moment the entire gym shook, the floor cracked open, an ear-splitting screech ripped the air apart, and a giant sphere erupted from the center of the gym, rising and hovering over the entire room.

It glowed red. The students and Coach Boomer stood too stunned to do anything but stare open-mouthed, gaping as the sphere started to speak.

"STUDENTS OF SKY HIGH," said the sphere. "THE END IS UPON YOU."

Slots in the smooth surface opened and round tubes slid out; everyone jumped. The sphere started spinning, slow, then faster and faster.

Will held his breath, mesmerized. As the sphere reached its highest velocity, a laser beam shot out. A section of the seating exploded. Students screamed. Coach Boomer's tower seat was wiped out and he went down in a big sonic crash. Lasers cut through walls, wood, cement. The gym succumbed to mass chaos.

"Stronghold!" yelled Warren, already in action, sending fireball after fireball after the sphere.

Will swooped down, dropping Layla free onto the floor. Time blurred as Warren and Will -- and Layla, Magenta, Ethan, Zach, Freeze Girl, heroes and sidekicks, and yes, even Brian Wash -- worked together, but the sphere kept on spinning. Soon there would be no gym left. Will wondered desperately where the teachers were, but then he saw that the gym had been sealed by what looked a force field.

Most of the students were cowering near sections of the stands. Another pocket of students huddled behind a hunk of fallen cement, everyone throwing every kind of power they had at the sphere, but to no avail.

Will heard Layla scream. The laser had her pinned down behind a fallen pillar, her vines no match against the small moving target. She only had a few more seconds of cover before the laser reached her, shaving away chunks of cement. Will started to fly to her, but then stopped when Warren roared out in pain.

The sphere had shot out two metallic arms and clamped around Warren, raising him into the air. Warren struggled, grunting. He cried out as the metallic claws squeezed, the largest of the laser tubes swiveled -- like an eye -- to point right at Warren's head. It pulsed and glowed.

Will looked from Layla to Warren, back to Layla again. She screamed as a laser beam cut close to her leg.

"I'll get Layla, you save him," yelled Brian Wash over the screaming of the other students. Will hesitated, but Brian was already dodging laser beams on his way to Layla.

Will turned and flew. Warren was superheating the metal claws, but the sphere was unaffected. He sweated, his eyes wide with true fear. Will had never seen Warren scared. Warren didn't do fear.

He reached Warren and ripped him free of the claws. Will flew around again, still holding Warren. He grabbed the sphere by the metal arms and swung it around, slamming it into the floor. Gathering all of his strength, Will punched the sphere, then curled as best he could around Warren, shielding him as the sphere exploded.

  
**II  
Suck and Blow**   


Will woke up in the nurse's office on one of the beds. With a sharp inhale, he sat up in a panic. He had to save his friends, already jumping to the floor, only stopped by the sight of Warren sleeping in the bed next to him. Slowly, he realized they were out of danger.

"Will!" Layla ran into his arms.

"Layla! Are you okay?" Over her shoulder Will saw his parents talking with Nurse Spex. "What happened? Where is everyone? Is Warren okay?"

"I'm fine," said Warren's sleeping figure, opening one eye. "'Bout time you woke up."

Will grinned, relieved. He turned back to Layla. She looked pale but otherwise fine. "Brian saved me, again," she said. She colored slightly at the mention of Brian Wash. Will felt a strange sort of pain and would have wondered if he'd cracked a rib, if that were possible. "Everyone else is fine. They've all been sent home for the rest of the day."

They were interrupted by Will's parents. "How's the hero of the day?" The Commander slapped Will on the back.

"Oh, honey, we're so proud of you." Will's mother hugged him.

"What happened, Dad? What was that thing?"

His dad shook his head. "No one knows yet, but my money's on Royal Pain. It looks like her kind of work. I'll call around, see if there were any prison breaks recently. Come on. School's been canceled for the rest of the day. You and," he paused, "Warren are coming home with us."

"Actually," said Warren, stepping away, "I should go home." Warren started moving toward the door.

"Nonsense," said Will's mom briskly, brushing past her husband and stopping Warren with a hand on his arm. "You're at least staying for dinner."

That ended all discussion. It was always awkward, but whether from politeness or the fact that he had nothing better at home, Warren usually let himself be persuaded to stay at the Strongholds.

Everyone trooped out of the nurse's office. As they left the school -- Will's mom carrying her husband and Will carrying Layla on his back and Warren by the underarms -- Will got a good look at the damage done to one whole side of the school, but he could see it was already being repaired. Lucky it was a Friday; they'd be able to return to school on Monday.

Once home, Layla's mother was there waiting for her. "See you tomorrow?" asked Layla. "At Dustin's party?"

Will nodded, kissed her, then watched her leave. Something felt different. Different from all of the other times he had stood on the same spot and watched Layla leave, knowing he'd see her later, or the next day. But this time, that comfort of knowing she was right next door was missing.

He snapped out of his thoughts, noticing Warren watching him. Warren gently hit his shoulder and Will felt a little better.

"Okay you two," said Will's mom, "I'll have some food ready for you in a few minutes. I'll bring it up to your room. Just this once. Up you go, get some rest."

"Thanks, Mom." Will turned to Warren, letting him go up the stairs first. Warren looked uncomfortable, but he always looked uncomfortable in Will's house. Will followed him up to his room. "If you want to go home," he said. "I'll understand."

Warren smiled a little and shook his head. "I think I'll manage."

In the year Warren had been his friend, Will had never been to his place. He thought Warren lived above the Paper Lantern, but wasn't sure.

"You, uh, you want to call your mom, or something?"

Warren didn't answer, only flopped down on Will's bed. "I would, if I knew where she was."

Will bit his lip and turned away. "Oh. Sorry. That -- that sucks."

Warren stared at Will long enough to make Will nervous. But then he cracked a grin. "Don't sweat it, Stronghold."

Will's mom brought sandwiches and sodas and Will and Warren wiled away the rest of the day discussing the latest attack on the school and who might be behind the sphere.

"I don't think it was Royal Pain," said Warren around a mouthful of tuna.

"Why not?"

Warren shook his head. "I don't know. Something about the whole thing seemed..." He drifted off, gazing through Will's window at the trees and the street outside.

Will changed the subject. "Can you come to the party? I think I heard Sara say she's going."

"Have to work," was Warren's curt reply, shaking his head once.

"Oh." Sometimes, with Warren, Will felt like he always said the wrong thing, that he constantly embarrassed himself and any moment Warren would get angry and whatever friendship they had would burst into flames and end, but Warren always stuck around.

"Maybe I'll come later," said Warren, after a moment of silence. "If the party's still going."

Will grinned. "That'd be great."

Then they tossed a baseball back and forth, Will sometimes threw the ball pretty hard, but Warren always caught it, no matter how fast it came.

After dinner, without asking if Warren wanted to stay, Will got his sleeping bag and a pillow and laid it out next to his bed. Not waiting for Warren to say anything, Will took out some homework, turned on his computer, tidied the dirty clothes escaping from his closet, and generally ignored Warren until he was certain Warren had let go of whatever sense of pride and shame he held on to, and settled in for the night.

Something woke Will at 2A.M. He looked around. Through his window, he could see Warren sitting on the roof of the garage, looking out to the stars. Will rubbed his eyes and got out of bed, climbing through the window to sit next to his best friend.

They were silent for many moments until Warren spoke. "I, uh, meant to thank you, for earlier."

Will decided he must have been referring to saving him from the sphere. "You would have done the same thing," he said, trying to brush it off.

Warren didn't deny it, and Will lay back, the roof shingles bumpy and hard and poking. Warren lay next to him. More minutes passed before it was Will's turn to break the silence.

"I didn't like seeing Layla with that guy."

Warren shifted to look at him. Will knew what most people would say. They would say, "Don't worry," or "Layla's totally into you, man," or even "That guy's a loser. Did you see those lame wings?" But Warren didn't say any of that. He only said, "Yeah," and lay back down again.

They stayed there for several minutes until Will fell asleep. The next day broke sunny and fresh, the first hints of fall in the early colors on the leaves of some of the trees. Will woke up in his bed. There was no sign of Warren.

All day Will was jumpy, every loud noise making him flinch. His father beat him four times in a row at pool and he didn't even come close to breaking his pinball record. His mother noticed. "You know, hon, I'm not so sure you should go to this party. Maybe you should stay home."

Before Will could answer, there was a knock on the kitchen door. Layla waved through the window, smiling. Added to the bubble of delight and happiness Will always felt when he saw Layla, he felt a twinge of apprehension.

Will hurried to open the door. "Hi," he said, turning back to his mother with pleading eyes.

"Oh Josie," interrupted his father. "If he can't be a normal kid after a supervillain attack, he'll never be a regular adult, either. Go on, Will. Have fun. Be home by eleven thirty."

"Well, all right." Mrs. Stronghold conceded.

"Thanks, Dad." Will hugged both of his parents, hugging his mother for a beat longer. He didn't know why, but he felt like he needed to go to the party. That it was important.

"Ready?" he asked Layla. She looked very pretty in a swinging dress all in greens and yellows, covered in flowers. "Hey, you look great," he said. Layla was warm and smelled sweet, leaning into him. She looked and felt perfect, actually, and Will hugged her for longer than normal, standing outside the kitchen door.

"Thanks." She smiled. "Will? Maybe we shouldn't go," she said. "I think I just want to be with you tonight. What do you say, we could, I don't know, go for a walk. Sit under the stars. Or we could fly?"

She looked so pretty and there was such a strange, almost haunted, desperate, look in her eyes that Will teetered on agreeing -- she looked tired.

At that moment Zach, Magenta, and Ethan all showed up. "S'up kid," said Zach, glowing neon yellow in the night. "Are you ready to Par-Tay?" He did a little spastic dance.

Will laughed, all thoughts of not going to the party fled. He high-fived Zach and Ethan and gave Magenta a quick hug. "Hey guys."

"Zach, you're such a dork." Magenta rolled her eyes and tugged Zach along.

Will shrugged at Layla, then all five of them walked in the moonlight in the direction of Dustin's house.

"Will, you were so awesome yesterday," said Ethan. "I've been thinking it has to be Royal Pain. There's no one else it could be."

"Uh, do you mind if we don't talk about it?" Will said, as gently as he could. He didn't like the dark look that passed over Layla's face. He squeezed her hand. "It's just, whoever it was, I'm sure we'll find out eventually."

"Sure, Will, whatever you say."

The rest of the walk to Dustin's was quiet, conversation happening mostly between Zach, Magenta, and Ethan. Will and Layla were silent, although they continued to hold hands.

The party could be heard from half a block away, loud music, with the bass thumping, and the high, chattery sound of hundreds of kids. Inside, the music pumped and the rooms were filled with smoky haze. Will stuck close to Layla, pulling her into the open living room-turned-dance floor. He spun her out and they danced until a freshman kid came up to Will, all eager-eyes and earnest expression, wanting to say thank you for saving him from the sphere the previous day.

"It was no problem," Will said, only half listening, trying to search out Layla who had disappeared. He saw Zach and the others, and just about everyone else from Hero Class milling around and having a good time, but no Layla.

He looked in all of the front rooms. She wasn't among the crowd watching Dustin do his appearance changing trick and impersonating Coach Boomer. But Layla wasn't there. She wasn't in the kitchen or the back yard. Will returned back to the house but was stopped by Magenta and Zach, both looking uncomfortable and guilty.

"What? What is it?" he asked.

"Will..." Zach started. Will looked past them to the murky interior, one room off to the side that he hadn't bothered to look into.

He thought he saw Layla's red hair. "Is Layla in there? Is she okay?" He pushed past. Neither Magenta nor Zach tried to stop him but only looked at each other uncertainly. He called out. "Layla?"

It was the smaller dinning room, in the back of the first floor, darkened and dimmed, the music dulled. Will knew it was the make-out room and hadn't checked it, thinking there would be no reason for Layla to be in there, but now he wasn't so sure. He burst in, trying to see through the smoke and gloom.

As his eyes grew accustomed, he saw them, Brian Wash and Layla, kissing. Brian had his arms around her, just below the small of her back. She gripped his shoulders and neck. It was no chaste kiss, nothing like a simple lip lock, no peck on the cheek, but tongue and teeth and hard passion. She clung, she gasped in his arms.

Will, almost without thinking, flew at Brian and knocked him clear across the room. The music scratched to a stop. The house fell quiet, tense, hushed. Everyone crowded around to watch. "Get away from her," he yelled. "What kind of sick person uses mind tricks to get at a girl?"

Brian picked himself up, dusting off plaster from the nearly destroyed wall. "What makes you think I used any tricks?"

"Obviously you did." He looked at Layla standing off to the side. "Layla tell him."

Layla looked at Will and at Brian, her eyes spilling with tears. "Will, I..."

"Layla?" Will could barely breathe, his heart stopped beating. His voice climbed high. He simply couldn't believe it. Dimly he was aware of everyone else in the room, which had gotten more and more crowded. He saw Warren enter in his Paper Lantern getup, very much like a dark avenging angel, moving to stand next to Zach, Magenta, and Ethan who all stood at Will's back, ready to fight if need be. "Layla," repeated Will. "I don't believe it. You wouldn't."

"Will, I don't know." She looked so confused, tormented.

Will felt like the time, before he'd powered up, when his father had thrown a 50 pound weight at him -- like all of the air in his lungs had just been knocked out. "You're lying," he said, turning all of his anger at the real villain, at Brian. He curled his hands into fists. "I don't know what you did to her, but I'll--"

"Wait, wait, wait," interrupted Warren. He put a hand on Will's shoulder, firmly, squeezing just hard enough to keep Will from flying, to keep Will grounded. "Am I getting this right? Do I understand what just happened here?"

Zach piped up. "See, Will was looking for Layla, so Magenta looked too and then found her in here with this," Zach punched his hand, glared at Brian, "creep here, and so we went to get Will and then..." Warren glared at Zach; Zach trailed off. "You get the picture." He stepped back behind Will.

Warren turned back to Brian. "All right, listen here, Bird Boy," snickers from the other students, "if I find that you've been messing with Layla's, or any girl's, mind, I'll kill you myself. Understood?" Warren's hands started glowing, smoking.

Unperturbed, Brian looked calmly around the room, resting his eyes briefly on Layla, but returning to Will and Warren. "I didn't use mind control on her. I didn't have to."

Will started forward, only held back by Warren, like a growling dog on a leash.

Brian eyes glittered. "You want to see mind control? Want to see me make two people kiss? I'll show you a real mind trick."

Will tensed, as if bracing for impact only no impact came, but before he realized it, he was moving. It was a strange balance between his own will to move and the compulsion to move. Horrified, completely helpless to stop himself, he moved to face Warren.

"Warren," he said, scared, but then couldn't speak any more. It was like he didn't know what to say.

Warren eyes glowed, frustrated, angry. And then the frustration left as he stepped forward, taking Will's face in his hands.

Will's heart thumped. Everyone else in the room, the house, even those outside, peered into the room, riveted. He had never felt so exposed, not even that first day at Sky High when he had to come clean about not having any powers.

Then, the rest of the world melted away, disappearing. All that remained was Warren's face, his dark angry eyes, the look of his lips. They were going to kiss, right there, in front of everyone, and Will didn't care. He couldn't care because it was what he wanted. He knew it, right down to his feet, to the end of his finger tips.

Their lips mashed together. Will felt Warren's hands in his hair, guiding him, something outside pushing him against Warren's taller body. He opened his mouth and tasted Warren's tongue. Then, he stepped back, gulping for air.

"See?" said Brian. "That's a mind trick."

Through gritted teeth, Warren, still breathing hard, said, "You're dead."

"Still need convincing?"

Horror struck, Will knew he _needed_ to kneel down and face Warren, his mind going "no, no, no," as it also went, "oh my God, this is what I want." From the corner of his eye, he caught a glimpse of the snide, triumphant smirk on Brian Wash's face.

"No," he said, quietly, panting. He _pushed_ back, as hard as he good, digging into that superhuman strength he had. "No," he roared and stood up straight, turning.

Brian cried out, putting a hand to his head. His wings expanded. "Tough guy, huh," he said, eyes glowing red.

Quietly crying out, Will felt his mind being squished, squeezed, and he was almost blind from the pain, knowing distantly that he was kneeling, that his hands were reaching for the buckle of Warren's belt, that he felt Warren's hands in his hair, gripping tight, holding him there. This was beyond terrible, beyond even the furthermost dreamt of fears of supervillain attacks -- nothing in his short life had prepared him for this sort of violation, this degree of horror. He could barely see, mentally grasping for any purchase, anything to hang on to and fight with, and then suddenly it all ended.

Will fell back, collapsing, breathing so hard he thought his lungs might bleed. Beside him Warren was curled in on himself, hands over his head. Will looked over at Brian and sucked in air in surprise.

Layla had a vine wrapped tightly around Brian's neck squeezed so hard Brian's eyes bulged. He clawed at the vine futilely. She brought another vine around and pointed it straight at Brian's head. "Stop or I'll drive this straight into your skull."

Will felt chills; he'd never heard Layla sound so cold, so deadly. He held his breath as Brian's eyes shifted to Layla and started to glow red, but he winced and shut his eyes, going limp in Layla's vines.

"Layla?" Will asked.

With her eyes locked on Brian, Layla answered. "You have to be very angry, and then you can block him." She wrapped more vines around and around Brian till he couldn't move and had to take small, quick breaths to get any oxygen.

Everyone started talking at once, the party returned to life. Dustin, back to looking like himself, bemoaned the state of the room, and the cracked wall. "My parents are going to kill me," he muttered.

Dizzy, Will tried to stand. A hand steadied him and he looked up to see Warren on his feet, towering over him. They both looked quickly away.

"I should call my parents," Will said, knowing his ears had turned as red as his shirt.

Warren nodded, moving to help Layla. Will dug into his pocket for his cell phone, quickly dialing his home number. Just as he pushed SEND, the ceiling above him crashed in and exploded. Through the hole in the roof, Will saw a giant sphere lowering down, stopping mid-air, not more than a few feet above their heads.

"STUDENTS OF SKY HIGH," said the sphere. "DESTRUCTION IS UPON YOU."

Numbers appeared on the surface of the sphere, counting down from three minutes, a loud TICK TOCK booming with each second that went by.

Everyone screamed, running scattered in every direction, heading for doors and windows, but another force field had come down around the house and they bounced back. No one could get out.

Warren swore, roaring as his arms burst into flame. He threw fireballs at the sphere but immediately two metal arms shot out and clamped around him. He yelled, struggled, but couldn't get loose.

Will dropped his phone and then launched into the air, fists forward. The sphere's eye swiveled to face him, zapping out a beam that sent Will crashing back against the wall. He fell to the floor.

Other students tried attacking the sphere -- Wayne spit his venom, Sara sent her freeze rays -- but there was no effect. Will stood up, ready to give it another go, but he found he couldn't breathe. Everywhere around him, students started wheezing, choking, clawing at their throats and turning blue. Bodies fell where they stood. He heard a whooshing sound: the sphere was sucking all the air out of the room.

As if from a great distance, he heard a small tinny voice that sounded very much like his mother, but he couldn't figure out where it came from. He hoped his mother wouldn't be too upset. Will crawled forward, still trying to breathe, trying to get the smallest little bit of air. Across the room he saw Layla collapsed. Brian, still mostly wrapped in vines, lay on his side, panting, his pale skin translucent, as powerless as the rest of them but he still held his sick, triumphant smile.

Warren had stopped roaring. The metallic arms that held him began retracting, slowly, bringing Warren closer and closer to the smooth surface of the sphere.

Will's vision started to go dark, crumbling around the edges. The TICK TOCK continued -- only a minute left. He had to do something, he had to save Warren, and Layla, and everyone else.

He made his legs move till he was on his hands and knees. Sweat ran down his face. He saw the sphere start to pulse and glow, its eye pointed directly at Warren's head.

Jumping up into the depleted air, he dodged another zap, ripping the metal claws from around Warren. Less than thirty seconds left. There was no way to disable the sphere, he didn't know how, but he had to get it as far away as possible. It wasn't an option, he just had to do it.

The sphere tried to grab him, but he took hold of the two metallic arms and leapt up, using all of his might to take flight. He came up against the force field and burst through, dragging the sphere by its arms and flying through the hole in the roof up into the night air.

He hoped the others were okay; his chest hurt, like it might implode or collapse in on him, trying to breathe but his speed made it difficult. He climbed higher and higher, his hand like a vise over the metallic arms of the sphere, until he saw stars. Real stars. He'd never gone up that high before. Momentarily stunned by the beauty, Will hovered between space and the cushion of the atmosphere hugging the Earth before starting to fall back down. Grunting, swinging the sphere around, he let go. The sphere moved in slow motion away. In space, Will couldn't hear the ticking, but he saw the timer count down to zero and shielded his face as it exploded into a bright white light.

Air rushed hot around him as he burned through the atmosphere, and then it rushed cold. He thought maybe he should try breathing but it was like his lungs had stopped working. He knew only darkness and wind, louder and louder, a high-pitched wail. He knew he was falling fast, like a lead brick, gathering speed. He might fall through the earth, spit out the other side.

Fly, he thought, just fly. But he kept falling.

Arms caught him gently. He looked up into the beautiful face of his mother. "Hi baby boy," she said, and then he blacked out entirely.

  
**III  
Blindfold Kisses**   


Will woke to the hushed tones of his mother and Layla talking. He opened his eyes and recognized his living room. His dad was next to him on the couch.

"How are you feeling?"

Will sat up. "Tired of passing out and waking up completely disoriented."

The Commander clapped his son on the shoulder, letting his hand linger there, squeezing, as if needing to be sure of him. He smiled with a look of barely held relief and none of his usual bravado. "This time, I think you earned it. That was a close one."

"Yeah." Will sighed. He could see his mother talking to Layla in the dining room. Layla looked like she'd been crying but was otherwise physically unharmed. "Is she going to be okay?"

"Of course. She'll be fine. Everyone is. You did it again, Will. You saved them all."

"Thanks." But he really didn't want to hear about how great he was, or how he'd saved everyone's lives, or any of that. He just wanted things to be normal, for two days in a row, if possible. "Did... did someone tell you? About Brian Wash? What happened?"

The Commander's eyes went dark. "Yes. He's being held. What he did is..." he trailed off, shaking his head. "He won't be returning to school. At least not while I'm alive."

Will had hoped to feel relieved at the news, but instead he just felt sick. If someone had told his dad about what had happened, what Brian had made him and Warren do, he wasn't letting on, and Will was fine with that. He didn't like to keep things from his parents, and they usually found everything out anyway, but this was one thing he couldn't get his mind around. Not yet. He needed time to think.

"And Warren?" he asked. "Is he here?"

His dad looked at him with the same look he always got when he talked about Warren or Warren's dad -- part aggravation, part confusion, always half expecting Warren to steal the cutlery or set fire to the living room rug. He didn't understand Warren, or why Will was friends with him, although he respected it. "He went home. I told him he was welcome to stay, but he disappeared pretty much immediately." His tone said he'd expect nothing more from Warren.

"Dad," said Will, defensive.

"I know, I know. He's your friend."

"Also, that thing went straight for him. For a second time. That can't be a coincidence. Something's up. I don't think Royal Pain's behind these attacks."

"No." His dad looked thoughtful. "We got word while you were at the party. She's still in solitary. They're doing a thorough count of all the villains in custody, but new ones crop up all the time. This one seems hell bent on destroying the students of Sky High." He clapped Will again. "We'll figure it out. Don't worry."

Will nodded, distracted by his mom and Layla walking over.

"Steve? Why don't we leave them alone for a few minutes?" Mrs. Stronghold bent over to kiss Will on the cheek, smiling at him, trailing a hand down his cheek.

"Thanks, Mom," he whispered.

"Of course, sweetheart. Not too long, okay?"

He and Layla looked awkwardly at each other. She fidgeted on her feet. "I'm sorr--"

"It's not your fault. It was Brian. You couldn't help it, not any more than... I could. It's okay. Really. I'm not mad." She bit her lip and looked down, scrunching her face as if in pain until he couldn't bear it any more and held her close. "Layla, please. Let's just move past it. He's gone. He can't hurt you anymore."

She gripped his shirt, and buried her nose into his neck, nodding. "I was so worried that you would think I wanted--"

He kissed her. It felt different than before, awkward, strange, but he didn't stop until she relaxed a little. "It's going to be okay," he said when he finally pulled away, wanting to believe it.

Layla breathed in, nodding. "Of course."

He walked her home. All day the next day Will did nothing but sleep, until late when he walked over to the Paper Lantern, but Warren wasn't working and the waitresses and cooks didn't know where he was or weren't about to give up his location. Will looked up at the windows over the restaurant, but they were all dark, no indication of any habitation. He almost flew up there, to peek in, but his sense of decorum and decency got the better of him. So he went home, leaving a message with one of the waitresses, asking Warren to call, if he could.

On Monday, his parents flew along side the bus to Sky High and stayed all day. And they weren't the only superheroes present. After two attacks on the students, the parents of Sky High had decided to make their presence known.

It was strange to see his mom and dad circling the school or watching Save the Citizen along with the rest of the student body. During Mad Science, Will looked out the window and saw his mother as she flew past. After everything that had happened at the party on Saturday, the last thing Will needed was his mother giving him a kiss in the cafeteria. But except for a wave here and there, she kept her distance, and so did his dad, who actually helped take attention away from Will by virtue of the fact that he was The Commander and the greatest living superhero.

Will hadn't seen Warren. He wasn't entirely sure Warren had even come to school that day. There were looks in the cafeteria, a well aimed comment or two by some kids not brave enough to say anything to Will's face. But mostly people just looked awkwardly at him and scurried away very fast.

"Don't mind them," said Zach, during lunch. "They're just jealous."

Of what, Will wanted to ask. He looked around the cafeteria and followed Layla's progress through the lunch line. She walked over, giving a bright, strained smile, and sat down, proceeding to talk a mile a minute about their homework, and the latest gossip, and then the upcoming Homecoming dance. She laughed and laughed, and if Will saw the signs of the effort it cost her to be so cheerful, he chose to ignore it, reaching across the table to hold her hand.

By demand of the parents, Mr. Medulla and Principal Powers commissioned a series of required attendance seminars on Preventing Mind Tricks and Mind Control Attacks for the entire student body.

Both Layla and Will sat white-faced during the first of such lectures, trying to ignore the stares that were given. But the next day went easier, and the next one easier after that. So it went, for a few days and soon most of the week was nearly over with no third sphere springing from below Hero Class or hidden in the boys locker room. But Warren continued to be absent, and Will just couldn't let go of the hunch that the two were related.

Each night, Will went by the Paper Lantern, but Warren was never there.

Thursday Layla came over for dinner after school, the constant high level of tension between them eased by his dad's steady stream of uplifting banter and his mother's gentle guidance and smiles.

"Don't stay up too late," said his mother as she and her husband left the two teenagers alone in the living room.

The lights were dim, the television on low, flickering comfortably in the semi-darkness. Will looked over at Layla sitting at the opposite end of the couch, fidgeting with a tassel on one of the pillows. She looked over, and it was a trick of the light but it seemed to Will that she looked as she had that week during Save the Citizen when she and Freeze Girl had won game after game -- beautiful and wild with the command of the vegetable forces at her fingertips. Without much warning, Layla moved over to him, planting her lips against his, aggressively pulling him close.

It still felt different than before. Will ignored it, concentrating on how good she smelled, and her soft hands searching underneath his shirt. He gasped, not sure what to do with his own hands, afraid to touch her lest he push her too far. They had never gone further than heavy petting, hand holding, necking on the rooftop outside of his room.

With seeming desperation, she tore at his shirt, tugging it over his head, then pulled back to lift her shirt away. In the dim light, Will caught a glimpse of pale skin and the smooth fabric of her bra.

"Wait," he said, breathless. She ignored him, searching out his lips with her own. She stuck her tongue down his throat, one of her hands pushing into his crotch. He yelped and pushed her back, too hard -- she nearly flew off the couch. "Oh God. I'm sorry. Did I hurt you? Are you okay?"

"Did I do something wrong?"

"No! No, I just, think we should go slower. Or maybe, maybe right now isn't--" He knew he wasn't making sense. Wasn't this what he wanted? Didn't he love her? Hadn't he fantasized about going further, having her touch him more? Always a late bloomer, he knew so many others at school had gone all the way, or at least much further than him. Warren, for sure had, and Will was pretty certain Zach had at least gone through several bases. But nothing felt right. In fact, it all felt wrong, and he knew it would be a mistake to go further.

Layla turned away, hands shaking as she pulled her shirt over her head. "It's okay. I understand."

"No you don't," he said, desperate to make her understand that it had nothing to do with Brian Wash -- although, was that even true? Maybe it was about Brian Wash. What had happened had changed them. "Layla, please, don't leave. Stay."

She turned on him, tears slipping from her eyes, angry. "Why. You obviously don't want me here." She hurried for the door.

"Layla," he called, but she was gone, shutting the front door with a bang.

Nothing was right, everything was wrong. Will felt like he was walking blindfolded through a room and had to guess where the furniture was, but only kept bumping into things. His mother came down, but he didn't want to talk, and rushed past her up the stairs to his room. He lay on his bed for a long time, unable to sleep because each time he closed his eyes he kept seeing Warren as he looked the night of the party, staring at his lips, and his eyes -- wanting to kiss him, and not wanting to at the same time.

With a sigh he got up and climbed out of his window to sit on the roof. The night was quiet, the stars twinkling above. He heard the sound of footsteps moving through grass and looked down to see Warren standing in his front yard, his dark hair and leather jacket gleaming in the moonlight.

"Hey," said Warren, almost cautiously.

"Hey."

Warren walked over and held out his hand so Will could take hold of it and lift him up onto the roof.

They sat silently for a long time. Then Will spoke. "I went by the Paper Lantern." It was the most innocuous thing he could think of to say.

Warren smiled a little. "They told me. Sorry, I needed to think."

"Yeah," said Will, sort of wishing he had Warren's liberty, to just take a week off and think. "Are you going to come back to school?"

"How is it?"

There could have been a million ways to answer that, but Will knew exactly what Warren meant. He waggled his head. "Could be worse. Although maybe that's just because you've been absent, I don't know. I miss having you there, though." Will looked at the shingles on the roof, each perfectly placed, rough beneath his fingers.

Warren was silent, then he knocked his shoulder against Will's. "Tomorrow. I was thinking I'd come back tomorrow."

Will smiled, and Warren smiled back -- for a second it was just like it had always been between them, these quiet moments and honest words, and then that second passed and Will leaned in just as Warren met his lips.

It was a deep kiss, and it went on for more than a moment. Warren had soft lips. Their tongues touched before they pulled away. Will felt his heart beating painfully, loudly in his chest. Warren looked at him, saying so many things with his expression and the dark look in his eyes.

"Dude," said Will.

Warren rubbed his face. "Yeah. Um..." he paused, looking at Will again. Will stopped himself from leaping onto Warren. "It's probably some sort of... residual effect."

Will nodded vigorously. "Must be. That's it. Residual. Right."

"I should--" Warren moved to the edge of the roof.

"And I should--" Will waved to the house, to his room. "Um, tomorrow?" He suddenly feared that Warren would change his mind and not return to school.

Warren leapt to the ground and started crossing the lawn, but he turned and walked backwards. "Tomorrow, Stronghold."

Will relaxed, confused but relieved. When he lay on his bed, he fell instantly to sleep. But the next day, he didn't see Warren before classes at their usual spot. Nor did he see him in the hallways. Distracted, released from Hero Class for lunch, he looked for Warren's long dark hair. He wasn't paying attention to the murmuring and hushed whispers coming from most of the students as they brushed past him in the halls.

"Dude, have you heard?" asked Zach, Ethan with him, and also Magenta and Layla.

"What?" Will looked at all of them, lingering for a moment over Layla. He hadn't seen her since the previous night.

"Warren's dad," said Ethan, pushing his glasses back on his nose, "escaped. He's been missing for months. They think he's responsible for the spheres and the attacks on Sky High."

Will blinked, looking dumbly from Zach to Ethan and back again. It all made sense, the way the spheres had gone after Warren specifically, almost vengefully but also not harming at the same time. It was like they were tuned to him. Perhaps that was how the spheres knew when to attack. "Oh God. I have to find Warren."

All through lunch Will searched the school. He ran from room to room. He looked outside, in front, and around the back. But the school was only so big, the floating island only holding so many places for Warren to hide in. It looked like he wasn't there, but Will was certain he was. He couldn't explain it, but he _knew_ Warren had come to school that day.

The sidekicks searched too, running after him until the bell rang for next period. It was time for the school to assemble for the final lecture on Preventing Mind Tricks and Mind Control.

"Come on," said Zach. "He's not here. Maybe that's for the best, right?"

"But he said he'd be here," said Will, looking around. "Told me so."

"Will." Layla came up to him and took his hand, her face full of apology. On the other side, Principal Powers was rounding students up, herding them toward the auditorium. "We'd better go in."

Will let himself be tugged into the auditorium, but he couldn't help looking over at the door every two seconds, or searching the crowd for Warren's face. Nothing. Mr. Medulla stood up at the podium.

"Good afternoon. Today, to finish off our series of lectures, we have a guest. Mr. Guerra comes to us from the Institute For SuperHuman Health, on the east coast. Mr. Guerra, the podium is yours."

Mr. Medulla stepped back and a tall, frizzy haired, bean-pole of a man stood and walked over. He tapped the microphone. "Hello? Can you hear me? You can? Okay, let's start then. First, let me tell you a little bit about myself, give you some back ground into the fascinating landscape of the superhuman mind..."

Will's seat trembled ever so slightly. He stopped listening, looking around for his parents. He couldn't see them, but knew they must be close. He hoped they were close. There were no windows in the auditorium, but the overhead lights were so bright they were almost blinding as he searched around for signs of his mother's cape or his father's crested chest.

His chair trembled again. Some of the other students shifted in their seats, looking around. It was like a ripple through the audience, a wave of whispering passing here and there, back and forth, until his seat really started vibrating.

A couple of fights broke out. Some kids shoved each other.

"Unlike normal minds," continued Mr. Guerra, seemingly unfazed by the commotion, "the superhuman mind is unique, special, able to compartmentalize between their normal alias and their super persona." Behind him Mr. Medulla was inspecting his seat as if it were a jet pack and was about to take off.

The vibrating continued, louder and louder, until his teeth rattled. In the center of the stage, right next to the podium, a trap door burst open and a sphere rose up into the air. The students screamed.

"STUDENTS OF SKY HIGH," said the sphere. "WAR IS UPON YOU."

"Yeah, yeah," said Zach. "This tune's getting old -- oh wait, what did it say?"

As one, all of the students started fighting each other while the sphere moved around the auditorium, swooping in and around and up and down, inspecting each face, quickly, but they paid no attention, concentrating on fighting their peers.

Distantly, fighting the urge to crush Ethan and smack Zach, Will heard lots of banging and what sounded like drilling coming from outside the auditorium.

After searching around and apparently not finding what was missing, the sphere hovered in the center of the room, and then swiveled around to Will.

Will backed up, but there was no where to go with all of the seats in the way. Everyone but the sidekicks left his side. The sphere focused its eye at Will, shooting out two metallic arms.

He cried out as the claws clamped around him. He could have fought, and his instincts told him to tear the metal, to rip it to shreds. He could do it, he knew he could. Wouldn't even be hard, like tissue paper, but instead he didn't fight, only let the metallic arms bring him closer and closer to the sphere. The closer he got, perhaps the more he could find out. Maybe he could discover if it was Baron Battle behind the sphere attacks or Royal Pain or some other villain.

The banging grew louder, and then something exploded -- the superheroes had come.

"Drop him."

Will had expected his father, or his mother, or even Coach Boomer to come bursting in, but it was none of them who spoke. Warren.

The sphere paused, the eye swiveling up to look at Warren. Will had to throw his head back and look upside down, but he saw Warren, and his parents, and all of the teachers and superheroes spilling through a hole in the back of the auditorium. Warren walked own the aisle toward Will.

"Drop him now."

Amazingly, the sphere obeyed. Will crashed down onto the seats. He bumped his head and thought maybe something had fallen over his eyes because it all suddenly went dark.

The lights were out and the entire auditorium plunged into complete darkness. Will sat up and moved but he couldn't see anything; he was completely blind. For a stark moment of panic he wondered if he was _actually_ blind. Then, he saw Warren's hands glowing.

Strangely, the darkness seemed to cling, as if a physical thing, so the light from Warren's fire didn't travel far but it was enough for Will to steer by and he flew towards the burning bright spot.

All around him were the sounds of screaming and things falling, total bedlam and chaos. He could hear his father and mother, and Coach Boomer, but he had no idea where they were.

"Warren." He grabbed Warren's jacket, lifting him up into the air. He had no way to know if he might crash into something, flying blind, but the air was easier to navigate than the ground where students ran wild and the auditorium seating made it difficult.

"Fly me toward the sphere," said Warren, fiercely.

"How? I can barely see you."

"I'll direct you." And he did. Warren had a connection to the sphere, somehow knowing where it was, lighting up the inky darkness with fireballs aimed right at the metallic hull. "Closer," he said. "Get real close."

"Are you sure?"

"Just do it. And don't let go, but hold on."

Will did as Warren asked, following the trail of fire from one of Warren's fireballs and coming up close to the sphere, close enough for Warren to put his hands on the metal skin as they burst into flame.

Will cried out but held on, ignoring the pain. Warren roared but didn't remove his hands pouring more and more fire.

At first, Will didn't think the fire had any effect. It just wasn't hot enough. But then, he felt something shift in Warren, like a car slipping into high gear. Warren's fire changed from red and yellow, to blue, then finally to white. A blinding white.

Will felt like his face might melt off, like his hands were becoming charred stumps, but he held on, holding back his screams.

The sphere turned mottled red, large chunks of glowing metal dripping down below. The sphere continued to glow until it lit up the entire auditorium, bright. Through the burning pain and the sweat in his eyes, Will could see the other students, their faces lit as if sitting around a bonfire.

He saw his parents, his mother grabbing his father and lifting up into the air, flying for him.

The light grew brighter and brighter until it seemed to fill every space, every corner of Will's mind. He yelled -- he thought Warren yelled, too -- and then...

He woke on the floor of the hallway just outside of the auditorium, most of his shirt burned away, but his hands were uninjured and no part of his body was damaged. He looked up and saw Zach and Ethan sitting next to him. "Hey," he said.

"S'up kid," said Zach, helping Will stand up. He saw his parents off to the side, talking to one of the teachers in front of a classroom. A few other students remained, standing around watching, many of them looking like they'd been in a fight. Layla was there, too, and Magenta. He couldn't see Warren anywhere.

"Where's Warren?"

"Dude, he's totally lost it?" said Zach, eyes wide.

"What do you mean?"

"He's in there." Zach pointed to the classroom near his parents. They were looking through the small window in the door. Will walked over, hearing someone yelling and things being thrown around.

He approached his parents. "What's going on? What happened to Warren?"

Looking worried, his mother said. "He's very upset, about his father. He's barricaded himself in that room. We can't get in."

Will looked into the window and saw Warren, powered up with flames dancing up and down his arms, throwing a flaming desk across the room.

"Oh, we can get in," said his dad. "Now, now, I know it's not his fault. Let me just go in and talk to him."

"Steve, I'm not sure that's a good idea."

"I'll go," said Will. "He's my friend. I'll talk to him."

"Wait, honey," his mother stopped him, taking him by the shoulders. She ran her hands over his face, and his hair. "Sweetheart, in the past few days, you've been simply amazing. And so has Warren, all of you kids have been just incredible. I can't even begin to tell you how proud I am, and how much I love you."

"Thanks Mom," said Will, blushing, uncomfortable but right then loving his mom like he never had before. "But, maybe, later?"

"What I'm trying to say is, I think I better talk to Warren, first. And then you can come in after. All right?"

Will hesitated, but then agreed. Warren's mother was non-existent -- off somewhere. Doing whatever. A long time ago Layla had mentioned that Tara Peace was in the Middle East or maybe parts of Asia, working towards finding resolutions for the world's conflicts. And everyone knew where Warren's father was, or at least, everyone used to know where Warren's father was, and what he had done. What he did now.

His dad yanked the door open, and his mom entered, closing the door behind her. Through the window, Will watched her dodge another table. She held her hands up. Warren turned at her, roaring, flames still burning up his arms, but whatever she was saying must have worked, because the flames were less and less, finally disappearing all together until Warren fell to his knees. She knelt down next to him, taking his face into her hands, very much like she had done with Will, and held him when he started crying.

Will turned away. Layla stood next to him. "Will, do you mind if we talk?"

His stomach flip-flopped. "Sure."

They walked over to a more secluded part of the hallway. Will got a good look at the inside of the auditorium as they passed: it was completely torched, charred, blackened. Confused, he wasn't certain how the sphere melting could have caused that much damage.

"Do you know what happened?" he asked. He really wished he would stop blacking out each time.

"Not much. After the sphere melted away, everyone just stood around stunned for a moment until that guy, the guest lecturer, Mr. Guerra, tapped the microphone and started lecturing again. Only what he was saying was that he had searched high and low for a person like Brian Wash, that Brian was a treasure, a true son, the perfect example of what a superhuman mind should be, and that he had worked very hard to get his real son and his greatest enemy in the same room together. And, as he was talking, his voice started changing, and also his hair, his clothes, until suddenly Warren yelled, 'Dad'. It was Baron Battle. He was there. That was him. Everyone couldn't believe it. Warren's dad has the same power as Warren, did you know that? Only he seems to have mastered it more -- every bit of him turns into fire, and he's also telekinetic. He had hundreds of those spheres, smaller versions, appearing out of nowhere. There was a fight, fire everywhere, at one point Battle had captured you and was about to burn you alive. He had turned into a pillar of fire, all white fire, but Warren stopped him and fought his own dad -- it was pretty spectacular, although sad. He was crying through part of it. And then The Commander got the better of Battle, with your mother's help, and Warren's too. They caught him and dismantled all of the spheres -- turns out, he had had some help from Royal Pain after all, according to Mr. Medulla, and also Brian Wash, who was responsible for making everyone want to fight like that. And then they carted him away, probably back to solitary. After that, Warren just lost it. And that's when you woke up."

"Jeez," said Will, amazed and totally stunned, not sure whether to be happy it was all over or upset he missed so much. "Not much, huh?"

"Warren saved your life."

Will felt a warm glow. He had known, of course, that Warren would have, no matter what, but it was a different feeling when it actually happened.

"Will, I--"

"Layla--"

They smiled, looking awkwardly at each other. Layla took a deep breath. "I've always loved you, you know, since we were kids."

Will blushed, he looked down at his feet. "We don't have to do this. We can figure it out."

She shook her head. "Maybe, some day in the future. But, things have changed, Will, and right now," she looked down the hallway, then put her hands over her head, "right now, I don't know up from down, or left from right. Do you understand? When Brian Wash said he didn't use mind control on me at the party, he might have been saying the truth. I don't know."

"Layla, it could have been some kind of lasting effect, or residual--" he stopped, seeing his mother leaving the room where Warren was. He took a deep breath. "I understand. I know exactly what you mean."

Layla looked at him, and then her eyes widened a little, turning back briefly to look over her shoulder at Warren who had followed his mother. "Oh," she said.

"Yeah. Dad's going to hit the roof. Warren and I haven't talked or anything, and, there might not be anything to talk about, but..." he trailed off, feeling strangely relieved to have said it. It was like removing a blindfold after playing Pin the Tail on the Donkey and realizing you almost had it, bull's-eye, just a few centimeters off. "I suppose, once things change, it's too hard to change back."

Layla smiled, and looked at him for a long time, saying so much more with her soft eyes full of glimmering tears. "I'll always love you, though."

"Me too." They fell into each other's arms. Will hugged her close, rocking her a little bit, lifting her up into the air. "Always. Are you going to be okay?"

She nodded, smiling. "I'm going to be fine. Better than fine."

He squeezed her close, and then let her go. She walked away. He had to fight a sudden urge to run after her and take her in his arms, flying out into the open sky.

Warren was watching him from across the hallway. Will went over to him. "Can you leave? Or do you have to stick around?"

Warren's faced was streaked with soot and dried tears, but he almost smiled, and turned towards The Commander. "Sir?"

The Commander looked at Will, and at Will's best friend. He patted Warren on the shoulder. "All right, son. The both of you, get out of here. All of you kids, go," he said to the few lingering students in the hallway. "We've got it covered. If we need you," he said to Warren, "we know where you are. Oh, and Warren. Thanks."

The Commander offered his hand. Warren looked at it, then up at the face of his father's arch enemy, and shook it firmly.

Will beamed at his dad, and then took a hold of Warren and together they flew off into the air. After the stench and heat of the auditorium, the cool air felt great.

  
**IV  
Seven Minutes In Heaven**   


First, they took showers. Then, Will piled together every kind of junk food available in the house, as well as stuff for sandwiches, sodas, left over chicken-a-la-king, Cheez-Wiz, neon-orange crackers, cookies, a tin of caramel-covered popcorn left over from Christmas last year, and a basket of fruit his parents had received from the Home Owners Association of Maxville, and carried it up to his room where he and Warren proceed to eat and watch a DVD until they both passed out on the floor.

Seven minutes might have passed, or seven hours, before Will was woken up by his mother checking in on him.

"Are they sleeping?" he heard his father ask.

"Shhh, yes, on the floor, in the middle of what looks like a trash heap. Boys, I swear." She shut the door.

But Will was awake and he sensed Warren stirring next to him. For a long time he looked up at the ceiling of his room, listening to his parent's footsteps below. The day was just then darkening past dusk, the light dim and sooty.

"I'm sorry about your dad," he said, and then immediately regretted it. He shifted onto his side. Warren was looking at him, dark eyes glinting. "You don't have to say anything. I understand if you don't want to talk about it."

Warren breathed in, and then exhaled slowly. He lay on his back. "What really gets me, what hurts the most, is that he was a great dad."

Will rose up on his elbow. He couldn't help disbelieving Warren, impossible to think of someone like Baron Battle as anything good.

"Everyone assumes because my mom is a superhero and my dad's a supervillain, that that means she's the good one, and he's the bad one. I don't think she knew what to do with a kid. She was only with my dad for a little bit, and only because he was mixed up in something in South Africa briefly. She was with us until I was two, I think, or maybe three, but then China was starving or Afghanistan orphans were dying by the dozen, and she had to go. She calls sometimes, out of the blue, and she'll talk to me for a bit. But my dad? My dad was always there for me. He raised me, fed me, dressed me for school, helped me with my homework. Took me everywhere. He'd read to me, took me to the zoo, bought me ice-cream, toys. Everything. And all the while, each day, he was working behind the scenes in wars, making them grow, instigating small skirmishes and fanning them into larger battles. He wanted the entire world to be at war. And then your dad came along and took him away. I hated your dad, but I hated my dad, too."

From somewhere, Will could hear music playing, and the sound of water being turned on, of pipes rumbling beneath walls and floors, the pleasant sounds of home.

"He used to say these strange things to me about the supremacy of war, and the beauty of combat. I used to listen, I believed him, but then he was arrested and I saw some of the damage he'd caused. He had two sides, one gentle, tender, the other horrible, feeding on chaos and destruction. And I'm a product of both. He disowned me when I took my mother's last name."

Warren fell silent, and Will watched the growing shadows creep across the room. "Layla broke up with me," he said. He knew it didn't match the weight of what Warren had just said, but he felt he need to let that go, and telling Warren was the way to do it.

"I wasn't sure, the way you two were hugging."

"Yeah," said Will. "I, ah, I sort of told her about the," he paused, watching Warren turn towards him, "the residual effect. She was feeling it too, you see. It made her understand."

Warren's skin turned dusky, reflecting the red of Will's shirt. "You should probably know that Sara also broke up with me, the night of the party. I think that was a little too much for her."

Will didn't know why, but he smiled. Really, it had been too much for nearly everyone, everyone except perhaps Brian Wash. He recalled what Layla had said, that Battle had called Wash a true son. He decided not to bring it up. Warren had bared his soul enough for one day.

Warren shrugged "I liked her, a lot, but, you can't change people. They can only change themselves."

Will thought that must be true. Things changed, and once changed, become different, and then you can never really go back. It was on the tip of his tongue to mention it.

Instead, he leaned in, brushing aside candy wrappers and popcorn crumbs, until he was lying next to Warren. Warren was, of course, taller, but they were pretty much head to head and chest to chest.

"This is a little crazy," he said, realizing that Warren smelled of leather and brimstone.

"You think so? I just got your dad to shake my hand. He's going to kill me over this."

"Probably. Mom will protect you. She likes you."

Warren smiled, a little sadly. "Your mom's great."

Will wanted to ask what had passed between his mother and Warren, but Warren put a hand on his side, resting it here, heat sinking beneath Will's shirt, and all thought besides how hot that hand was flew from his mind.

He put his own hand on Warren's arm, and then leaned in that last little bit until their lips met. Warren's hand slipped to Will's back, pressing him close. Will opened his mouth, taking as much of Warren as Warren was willing to give. Long, searing kisses, traveling like fire across his jaw, and down his neck. Will panted into Warren's mouth.

"Maybe we should go slowly," said Warren, looking at him curiously, cautiously. This was new for both of them.

"Maybe we should move to the bed," said Will, with a smile.

Warren laughed, a true laugh, like deep bells ringing.

They moved to the bed, and also took it slow. Content to kiss and kiss some more until their lips were raw, until too tired for anything else, until Will fell asleep with Warren tucked up against him, overheated in the small bed.

~~~

So, that's the story of how things went wrong, but then, ultimately went right again. Just so you know, Warren and I did take things slowly, mostly because, residual effect or no, neither he nor I wanted to risk our friendship over what could have amounted to hormones and a nasty side effect from a mind trick gone very bad.

We were quiet about it, until my Dad walked in on Warren and I making out on my bed one morning and blew the roof off. Just kidding, it was only part of the roof. The main part. The part that covers the house. But now, he's okay with it, after a stern talking too from Mom, and Warren is as welcome in our house as ever.

Speaking of mind tricks, Brian Wash is still in custody, despite valiant efforts on the side of his attorneys to get him released under a plea of coercion. We all thought that was pretty funny. It was decided Brian was far too dangerous an individual to be released, ever, even if fully rehabilitated. There are occasional "Free Wash!!" rallies but mostly people just bring their cars or dirty laundry and are therefore very confused when they realize the rally doesn't meant they get a free car wash or clean clothing.

Oh, and Baron Battle is also still in custody. But Warren's gone to see him and they've talked a few times. It's awkward, and never going to be okay, but it's something. No luck with Warren's mom, though. She's still M.I.A. and likely to stay that way.

Layla and I are back to being best friends. I see her every day, and I think, actually, we're closer than ever. She and I, and Zach, Magenta, and Ethan, all went over to Warren's small apartment during Christmas and had a decorating party, much to Warren's annoyance. He grumbled and glared and tried to stop us putting up a tree, and lights, and from baking cookies, but in the end, we could tell he really loved it.

Warren and I are not stupid, we know we're just in high school, and that we have our whole lives ahead of us to break up, meet other people. Marry. Have kids. Save the world three, four, or a hundred times. The whole shebang. This is just the beginning, and I'm sure there will be several beginnings anyway, each one more amazing than the last, more agonizing, horrifying, thrilling in their own right. But hey, that's life.

~~~  
the end.


End file.
